


riz gukgak and the mystery of the grand gesture

by rainny_days



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Fantasy High
Genre: Birthday Party, Gen, M/M, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Surprises, adaine can smell a bad idea from ten miles, all the other bad kids are just here to have fun, but honestly there's like one s1 finale spoiler so go nuts, fabian thinks he's very smart, riz is paranoid and both very good at investigation and very bad at perception, set vaguely between s1 and s2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:07:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22909081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainny_days/pseuds/rainny_days
Summary: The Bad Kids (read: Fabian and his variously long-suffering friends), try to surprise Riz Gukgak, private investigator and professional conspiracist.It doesn’t go according to plan.
Relationships: Adaine Abernant & Riz Gukgak, Riz Gukgak/Fabian Aramais Seacaster, The Bad Kids & Riz Gukgak
Comments: 12
Kudos: 294





	riz gukgak and the mystery of the grand gesture

**Author's Note:**

> eyyy my first fantasy high fic! i figured it was time to bring this off-tumblr and expand the ao3 archive a lil

Riz isn’t sure what’s going on with his friends, but he’s pretty sure it’s about him.

For one, when he casually asked Kristen what her plans were after school, her enthusiastic ‘Well, I was going to go p-’ was immediately and abruptly cut off by Adaine’s hand over her mouth, the elven girl giving her a glare before turning to Riz and saying, a little awkwardly, that they were going to have a girl’s night out.

That was suspicious enough on its own, but when Gorgug began to loudly rock out on any available surface whenever Riz began asking about his day, he was sure that his friends were keeping something from him. And that Fig was the only member of the party with deception worth shit.

He doesn’t _want_ to stalk his friends around, of course, but it’s fair game, he tells himself, if they were the ones who started keeping things from him in the first place. He’s self-aware enough to know that his reaction is at least 30% because he’s a little hurt that any of them would try to keep something from _him_ , let alone all of them, as a group. maybe 44.2%.

50%, at most.

Considering that, he feels perfectly justified, when he sees Adaine and Fabian speaking by the Hangman, in immediately ducking into the shadows, creeping close enough to hear what they’re saying.

‘- suspicious, I mean, it’s _Riz_ ,’ Adaine was saying, and Riz feels at once elated at the confirmation of a theory and crushed at the realization that his friends _were_ keeping something from _Riz_ , specifically.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Fabian replies, voice clear and confident and the best sound in the world, if it weren’t for the words that accompanied it. ‘The Ball isn’t going to figure anything out- not in time, anyways.’

Before Riz can be hurt by Fabian’s low opinion of his deductive skills, the two of them are skidding away on the Hangman, and Riz is busy putting another piece of the puzzle on his mental conspiracy board.

Whatever this was, it’s important enough for Fabian to let someone (else) on the Hangman.

* * *

Over the next few days, Riz accumulates a plethora of new clues to pin onto this new mystery, from the realization that whatever was happening involved Fig scribbling in her music notebook more often than usual, to the fact that his _mom_ was in on it.

( _That_ had been a particularly deep cut, but whatever, it’s fine, Riz will get to the bottom of the mystery himself, without any help, just like he always does, just like he's _supposed_ to.)

He trails Gorgug home one day, and finds out that his parents are working on some kind of- fireworks machine? - for him, and adds that to his list. he listens in on Tracker and Kristen, and finds out (after a truly indecent amount of smooching) that they’re going to the crafts store for something. piece by piece, the picture starts coming together in his mind.

They were having a party, and he wasn’t invited.

It made sense now, why they were all being so secretive- they didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him that he couldn’t come. Riz wasn’t sure what, exactly, he’d done for everyone to be so vehemently against the idea of him being at their soiree, but it wasn’t out of the question- it _was_ Riz, after all. awkward, intense Riz, who could never quite bring himself to _chill out_ in any given situation. It stung a little, but he supposed it wasn’t the worst thing they could’ve kept from him.

After his realization, he decides to give his friends some space, so that they didn’t have to worry too much about him ruining their plans. It’s not too difficult, with his stealth, to slip away whenever they look like they want to talk about something that didn’t involve him. Most of them don’t seem to notice, but Adaine rolls a high enough perception after school one day and corners him at his locker.

‘Why are you avoiding us,’ she asks flatly, eyes intelligent and assessing. Riz looks down. out of everyone, Adaine’s secrecy hurt the most. He had thought that she of all people would know what it was like to not be able to help your own helpless awkwardness.

‘I’m…not?’ he offers, not very convincingly.

She gives him a Look, and he crumbles like a dry cookie. ‘I just- I thought it might be helpful? If you guys could talk…alone? It’s not a big deal.’

Adaine stares at him, then gives the most exasperated sigh that he has ever heard. ‘You- _this_ is why I told Fabian-’ she huffs, and glares at the ceiling. ‘It’s not- whatever you’re thinking, it’s not that. I- you know what? Just wait in the parking lot tomorrow after school. It’ll all be clear then.’ She turns her fierce gaze to him until he nods, then turns away sharply with a low ‘ _why are people so_ stupid’ as she leaves.

Riz isn’t sure what just happened, but he thinks that she’s being a little unfair to him. And that, come hell or high fire, he _will_ be in the parking lot tomorrow, or suffer the consequences of a pissed off teenage oracle. 

* * *

When he sees Fabian waiting by the Hangman the next day, his stomach sinks to his ankles.

‘The Ball!’ Fabian waves at him, sounding infinitesimally less confident than usual. Riz fights the instinctive urge to light up at the sight of him, basking in the warm glow of Fabian’s regard. ‘You’re late! It is extremely rude to keep someone waiting, especially when he’s offering you the honor of a ride home on his noble steed.’

Riz stares, not sure how to process his words. Fabian takes his silence as approval, apparently, as he moves forward and lifts Riz by the waist, hands broad and warm and effortlessly strong as they place Riz onto the hangman. Fabian gets on in front of him, and habit moves Riz’s arms around Fabian’s torso as the Hangman begins to rumble underneath them.

‘Why are you taking me home?’ Riz asks, genuinely confused. Maybe Fabian was here to distract him while the others had a good time at their party? It didn’t seem like Fabian to miss out on a good time, but he was like that sometimes, effortlessly kind in the most infuriating ways, forcing Riz to reevaluate every piece of evidence he’d collected in his mental file of _Fabian Aramais Seacaster_.

‘Don’t question the ride, the Ball,’ Fabian replies, sounding smug. ‘Having a chance to spend time with me and the Hangman is a privilege, just bask in it.’

‘Well, yeah, of course,’ Riz says, not really thinking about it. ‘But aren’t you busy going to the- thing?’

An interesting procession of emotions passes over Fabian’s expression, and Riz takes a mental screenshot of each and every single one. he’s never seen Fabian with that particular look of panicked horror before, even in the face of a literal dragon. it’s fascinating.

‘You- you _know_?’ Fabian blurts out, seeming to immediately regret his words.

Riz takes a moment to preen, because if he was going to be an awkward, unwanted reject, at least he was _right_ about it. ‘It wasn’t that hard, or anything. You guys know I have, like, insanely high investigation, right?’

Fabian glowers in front of him, looking wind-swept and handsome and infuriated. ‘It was supposed to be a _secret_ ,’ he says, sounding genuinely frustrated. Riz shrugs.

‘It’s not that big of a deal,’ he says, pressing down on the days of awful sadness and rejection. ‘I mean, you guys can do whatever you want, it’s none of my business.’

Fabian blinks at that. ‘How is it not-’ he furrows his brows. ‘What do you _think_ is happening?’

‘Uh,’ Riz says, because he doesn’t really want to say it out loud. ‘Do I…really have to say it? That seems…’ _cruel_ , he doesn’t say.

There’s a moment of silence, then the sound of Fabian sighing, hard enough that it rumbles against Riz’s stomach. Riz flushes with a combination of embarrassment and guilty pleasure, burying his face in the back of Fabian’s jacket with the force of his Big Feelings.

‘Riz,’ Fabian says, and that’s strange enough for Riz to turn his face up in surprise. ‘I don’t know what you think you know, but it’s not- we’re not- _ugh_ ,’ he cuts himself off. ‘Look, just-’ as the Hangman slows outside Riz’s apartment, he takes one hand off the handlebars to run a hand through his hair, ruining its perfect tousle. ‘Come on.’

He gets off the bike, and holds a hand out expectantly. Riz tries to be discreet as he wipes his palms against his slacks before taking it, allowing himself to be led off his seat. ‘Aren’t you-’ Riz begins, wondering why Fabian isn’t getting back on the Hangman, but Fabian cuts him off as he begins to walk briskly towards Riz’s apartment, tugging Riz along behind him, not hard enough to be uncomfortable, but with more vigor than he usually does.

As they reach his door, Fabian turns to him, brows furrowed in determination. ‘ _This_ ,’ he says, ‘is what we were doing.’

And then he opens the door, and Riz is covered in confetti.

‘HAPPY BIRTHDAY,’ shouts about a dozen different voices, as Riz experiences a mild meltdown. He blinks as he registers Fig and Gorgug begin to play a riff on the birthday song as Kristen begins to hum along, off-key and already looking a little tipsy. His mom rushes forward and envelops him in a big hug, pulling back and laughing at the look on his face before passing him off to Adaine.

‘I told you it’ll all be cleared up today,’ she whispers in his ear, smiling as she pulls away. Riz pulls himself together enough to make a face at her.

‘You couldn’t have told me?’ he mutters, glaring at her snort.

‘Hey, I wasn’t the one who came up with the idea,’ she says, and glances over at Fabian with an I-told-you-so look that makes the taller boy huff.

Riz blinks as the information sinks in, and looks over at Fabian. ‘this was _your_ idea?’ he says, not sure what is being conveyed in his voice. Whatever it is, it makes Fabian - _Fabian_! - duck his head a little, just for a moment, before raising it again and smirking.

‘Who else could’ve pulled this off, the Ball?’ he says, every inch the storybook hero once more. ‘Who else could have, through wits and daring and feats of incredible cunning, pulled one over Augefort Academy’s great detective?’

‘I knew _something_ was-’ Riz began to protest, then pauses. ‘Wait, did you call me a great detective?’

As Fabian begins to splutter and Fig pauses in her playing, drawn in by the promise of merciless heckling, Riz tucks the mental file labeled _The Case of the Cagey Companions_ into the completed folder in the back of his mind, and puts a tiny note in his growing file of Fabian Aramais Seacaster before allowing himself to be pulled into the fray of his friends, warm in the knowledge of their affection.

_He thinks I’m a great detective._

**Author's Note:**

> find me screaming about fantasy high on [tumblr](https://tweetsongs.tumblr.com/)


End file.
